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First of all, yes that title is a Star Wars reference. Secondly, guess what? Mr. Mensa 2016 is one of your very own, and I’m very proud to say that he in fact the writer of this article. What or who is “Mr. Mensa,” you say? Well, I’m glad you asked me that! Mr. Mensa is a fundraising event (for the Mensa foundation) that is held every year at the Annual Gathering. It’s a somewhat tongue-in-cheek “beauty” pageant with all male participants. Much like other beauty pageants, there is a talent portion, a formal wear portion, Q&A, and a “sexy legs” portion, which is basically the equivalent of a swimwear competition. It’s all in good fun and, extremely entertaining to watch and participate in, bribing the judges is encouraged, and the winner is crowned Mr. Mensa. But not so uneasy lies the head that wears this crown!

Since the theme of this year’s AG was “Mensa-con” (San Diego, where the AG was held, is famous for having the biggest “Comic-Con”), my love of comic books and things came in handy. For the introduction, I came out dressed as Spiderman, removed my mask, and announced that I was from SEMM, where with great brain power come great responsibility. I followed this up with sexy legs wearing Batman socks and briefs and a Darth Vader workout shirt. I later learned that I tied for first with a gentleman in scuba

gear. Then it was talent. In Batman t-shirt and jeans, I played my version of the Rolling Stones tune “Sympathy for the Devil.” It was a crowd favorite, as was evidenced by getting a large number of votes in the form of donations. Next was the formal wear competition. I wore my Irish kilt and used this opportunity to bribe the judges. I gave out little bottles of Jameson Irish whisky, and said “Water of life, shed for you” in an Irish brogue as I handed out each one. The Gaelic word for whisky means “water of life.” This worked, as I later learned the judges gave me first on that portion. The last was the Q&A. I was faced with a difficult decision between boobs and bacon. The details of my answer are a little long for this forum, but suffice to say the judges enjoyed it enough to score me second on that portion.

Shortly after this, the winner was announced…and it was ME! I was mostly just glad to have had fun and entertained the audience, but the crown and sash they gave me were pretty darn gratifying. All the contestants were auctioned off for a date (I took my date to the zoo!), raising even more money for the Mensa foundation. I spent the rest of the weekend wearing my “royal vestments,” (as was more than suggested by other former Mr. Mensas), and generally enjoying the modicum of celebrity afforded by my victory. It was a great time, and I’m proud to have brought the title home to our very own SEMM!

We know about what is going on in our local group through M-Pathy, our website (MensaDetroit.com), facebook pages (SEMM and SEMMantics) and occasional special emails if American Mensa has your current email address and you have given permission to share it within AML. (See http://mensadetroit.com/notification-help/ to see how to do this.)

But do you think about connecting with Mensans when you travel? Thanks to the internet, that is much, much easier than it used to be.

If you have a question about something where you will be travelling, don’t forget the SIGHT Program. Most American Mensa groups also have SIGHT coordinators. Go to US.Mensa.org/Connect/Local groups to find contact information for local group officers across the country. Also see US.Mensa.org/Connect/SIGHT for additional information on the program. If you need more help, our SIGHT Coordinator is John Voymas (see inside the back cover for contact information for all the SEMM Officers).

If you just want to see if anything is happening when you are going to be somewhere, go to us.Mensa.org/Connect/Read/Local group Newsletters for over 140 newsletters from A-Q-Men to WoMensa. You can do the same in over 45 countries by going to US.Mensa.org/Connect/Mensa International, where you simply click on the country to get their contact information. Ed and I have met with Mensans on every continent buy Antarctica, which has led to unforgettable experiences.

And how many of you have discovered the fantastic possibilities of US.Mensa/org/Connect/Member directory? Want to know who else shares your name? No problem. How about who lives around you? Fill in a zip code and hit search. Maybe you need the email address or phone number of someone you met at a Mensa event. You guessed it—two clicks and you can find it if they have given permission to display their information. You can even search for others who share your interests from a huge list that runs from accounting to Yoga/Pilates.

One of the primary benefits of Mensa is networking. Here’s hoping you will make good use of that ability soon.

In an effort to help people stay abreast of the many opportunities for youth in Mensa, we have a new, free service called Remind for which people interested in what Mensa is offering for youth may sign up.

This service will enable them to receive text or email messages (their choice) that are sent from the national office with information about events, deadlines, resources and services for youth in Mensa.

Anyone may sign up, and their phone numbers will not be visible to anyone, even us.

The service does not accept replies, so privacy is guaranteed. People may unsubscribe at any time, and you may find information on signing up or unsubscribing here https://www.remind.com/join/mensaym. We have also uploaded a printable instruction sheet into the Sharehouse, tagged “Gifted Youth” and named “Youth Text Sign Up Instructions.” Feel free to share this sheet or upload it your local group website. The simple instructions are that in order to subscribe you should enter this number (682) 593-4959 with this message: @mensaym

Here are some FAQs:

What is this service?
Remind is a free, safe, easy-to-use communication tool that helps teachers connect instantly with students and parents. We have received permission to use this service for our youth program.

Why do we need this service?
We are trying to meet people’s needs to be contacted about our services in the way that works best for them. As the youth membership is so fast growing, we want to keep that membership, especially those who are new and may not be as familiar with our programs and services, informed about how to make the most of their membership. Additionally, we have a number of members who have children or grandchildren who can benefit from Mensa’s program who do not receive our email mailings with information because they go to youth under eighteen.

What about privacy?
Phone numbers are always kept private so communication is 100% safe and secure. We can easily access their stored message history for any administrative requests. We cannot see the numbers or emails of people who subscribe, but we can see names.

To honor the greening of spring and the recent fame of some of our younger members, American Mensa is offering a 70 percent discount for the month of May to potential members who want to qualify using Prior Evidence.

This promotion has been launched to take advantage of public interest generated by several young Mensans highlighted in recent news stories.

Many people find that submitting scores from prior intelligence tests is a quick and easy way to qualify for Mensa membership. For potential members under age 14, submitting scores from prior testing is the only way to be evaluated for membership. However, the May Prior Evidence discount is available to potential members of any age.